We are seeking 100 exceptional individuals or companies to join the Wentworth Woodhouse team in raising £1,000 each, in our most ambitious community-based fundraising project ever.

Help us create life-changing opportunities for the people of South Yorkshire through:

• Innovative education projects
• Dedicated community engagement activities
• Wellbeing programmes
• Dynamic cultural experiences
• Inclusive new job opportunities
• Training and apprenticeships for people of all ages
• Your support will also help keep the lights on and cover daily running and essential maintenance costs. By joining our team to raise funds, you will contribute to regenerating Wentworth Woodhouse as a cultural centre with the community at its heart.

Last year we were very fortunate to be chosen by the 2022/23 Master Cutler, Dame Julie Ann Kenny DBE DL, as her chosen charity. As part of Dame Julie’s Master Cutler’s Challenge, we worked in partnership with many local businesses and organisations achieving some tremendous results. So much so that we decided to continue these fantastic partnerships with our Big House Heroes campaign to ensure that the wonderful work at Wentworth Woodhouse continues.

“Wentworth Woodhouse is not only one of the core pillars in South Yorkshire but one of the most exciting and challenging heritage projects of a generation. This crucial fundraising will contribute towards our goal of restoring and regenerating Wentworth Woodhouse so it can benefit the people of South Yorkshire and beyond, ensuring the House not only survives but becomes a leading visitor attraction and a catalyst for positive change in the years to come.”

Dame Julie A Kenny DBE DL

Become a Big House Hero!

If you’re interested in becoming one of our Big House Heroes, register to raise just £1,000 each, with the support of our in-house team, to help us reach our £100,000 goal. Fundraising can be enjoyable and a fantastic way to bring friends and colleagues together. You could host a garden party, participate in a sponsored bike ride or silence, organize a car boot sale, or create a pop-up shop. Our team can provide you with some great ideas to get involved.

By joining our Big House Heroes, you will:

• Support your local community
• Actively contribute to the success of Wentworth Woodhouse
• Fulfil your corporate social responsibility targets
• Have fun!
• And remember, you will become part of a very special team at a very special place. Wentworth Woodhouse belongs to us all, so come and play your part in its success.

Corporate Fundraising Ideas

• Afternoon Tea
• Garden Party
• Team Sponsored Challenge e.g. Tough Mudder
• Murder Mystery Night
• Car Boot
• Gin Festival
• Music Event

Individual Fundraising Ideas

• Tea and Coffee Morning
• Bingo Night
• Pub Quiz
• Raffles
• Summer BBQ Fundraiser
• Sponsored Run / Walk
• Guess The Name / How Many Sweets in the Jar Game

For more information, submit the form below and get started on your journey to becoming a Big House Hero today!

Attend a Big House Heroes Event

Support the campaign simply by attending one of these fantastic events, organised by local business owners:

Learn to Nordic Walk | Friday 4th October, 10.00am-12.00pm

Firewalk Experience | Saturday 19th October, 5.00-8.00pm

Here’s a look back at some of our previous fundraisers:

Sponsored Bike Ride

Visiting 100 Football Stadiums in 100 Hours

Behind the Scenes Vulcan Tour

Team Rounders Tournament

Bowling Night

Meet Our Big House Heroes!

Darfield hat designer, Sherry Richardson!

Local milliner Sherry has signed up to be a Big House Hero and will be passing on her skills at a Wentworth Woodhouse Fascinator-Making Workshop in June where guests will make their very own fascinators – all in aid of raising the £1,000 towards the campaign.

Sherry has created ‘crowning glories’ for hundreds of wedding and race day outfits and a few for women invited to Buckingham Palace. She trained in millinery for four years at Huddersfield Technical College, launched Hats By Sherry and worked on private commissions until she was able to commit full-time to the business in 2018.

Sherry, 64, grew up knowing about the house and first set foot inside the mansion in the early 1990s at an event celebrating the retirement of a Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estates employee.

She said: “I’ve signed up to be a Big House Hero because I love the place and want to help it to develop. I decided to run fundraising workshops because I enjoy passing on the traditional skills I’ve learned and seeing the way it absorbs people. It’s very therapeutic. I will be supplying all the materials and explaining the techniques and everyone will depart with a fascinator they have made from scratch.”

Workshops last three hours and places cost £55 which you can book here, with all profits going to the Big House Heroes campaign.

Glass Artist, Pam Goodison

Pam Goodison is using her talents as a glass artist to raise money for Wentworth Woodhouse in the Big House Heroes campaign. The 54-year-old from Stocksbridge has signed up to be a Big House Hero and is running fundraising glass workshops at the house.

Pam began making decorative glass as a relaxing hobby while she was a business manager for the Nat West Bank in Barnsley. “I’d always fancied trying it, took evening classes at Hillsborough College some 20 years ago and got hooked, though I never thought it would one day become a business,” said Pam.

“Now it’s taken over my life, and my home! It’s been a full-time business for the last three years. I have a kiln, and our garden room and snug have become my studios.”

Pam specialises in kiln-formed glass and stained glass, mainly using the Tiffany technique. Her glass flowers and Christmas decorations are sold across the region and she is also a dab-hand at glass restoration. She teaches her craft at workshops across Yorkshire, including regular sessions at Rotherham Creative’s learning centre in Rawmarsh.

“I’ve wanted to run workshops at Wentworth Woodhouse since I first visited for an International Women’s Day event in 2021,” she said.

“The Big House Heroes campaign seemed a great way to introduce them at the house and make some money for it at the same time.”

Pam has workshops planned for July 26 and a date in October.

Up to 35 people will be making glass birds, hearts, trinket dishes and rainbow tealights in Pam’s two-hour classes. Places cost £55, with £30 going to Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust’s Big House Heroes campaign.

Nordic Walk Instructor, Tracy Hall

British Nordic walking instructor, Tracy Hall, is kindly hosting a series of Nordic walking sessions in the Gardens here at Wentworth Woodhouse to contribute towards our Big House Heroes fundraising campaign.

The method, originally designed in Finland as a summer training routine for cross-country skiers, uses walking poles and turns a stroll into a full-body workout. Tracy will be leading Learn to Nordic Walk in a two-hour session on Friday 4th October, in a bid to raise £1,000 for the campaign by November.

“Teaching the proper technique is my area of expertise and this is my gift to Wentworth Woodhouse,” said Tracy.

“As a fully-qualified British Nordic Walking instructor, I use a 10-step training technique which is the best method for getting to grips with Nordic walking,”

“The technique means you engage the muscles of your upper body and arms, as well as your legs, and are using 90% of your major muscles, burning up to 30% more calories and walking further and faster than you could have imagined.”

People who sign up will be learning a new activity which will swiftly improve their fitness, health, balance and wellbeing.

If you’d like to attend Tracy’s session in October, click here to book.

Want to Make a Donation?

If you would prefer to make a one-off donation to this campaign, simply click the link below:

Money raised as part of the Big House Heroes Campaign will support all aspects of work at Wentworth Woodhouse.